view of the recent past, to interrogate what we think we know, to be -- demystify, to move beyond the clichÉs about winners and losers, saints and sinners, about the wisdom and courage of the greatest generation. to tell a different story not a true story based on all the evidence we can find. the life of joseph p. kennedy was, for me, sort of antique fun house mirrors, which, if i look at long enough, would reflect back to me, often an indistinct distorted form, images of events, people, places, which organized and arranged the story of the 20 century america. joseph p. kennedy was a delegate type figure. he was everywhere. from world war -- he was born in 1888, lived through world war i, the roaring '20s, was in hollywood at the moment of transition from silent films to talking films. was on wall street during the boom and bust. worked as part of the franklin roosevelt campaign team, was the first chairman of the securities and exchange commission, the first chairman of the maritime commission, the first irish-american to be ambassador to the court of st. james, to great britain. and the fa